Castle tops Campbell to reach semis, 28-25

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

In an exhilarating, back-and-forth affair, Castle stunned West co-champion Campbell, 28-25, in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association football quarterfinal last night at Aloha Stadium.

Campbell running back Mapa Malupo got tackled by Castle's Louis Mansanas Jr. after a short gain in the second quarter of last night's OIA semifinal game. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Then, the screaming fans watched the Sabers drive from their own 35 to the Knights' 15, only to see Shauncey-Blaine Saito's 33-yard field goal attempt sail wide left with 36 ticks left on the clock.

The Knights took a knee for the final two plays to drain the clock.

The Knights will face another upset-minded team, Farrington, a 21-20 winner in the other quarterfinal against four-time defending OIA champion Kahuku, in Friday's semifinal. Both have secured two of the OIA's four state tournament berths.

The Sabers (6-3), ranked ninth in The Advertiser Top 10, will turn in their jerseys.

The lead changed hands seven times, when each team scored.

The Sabers registered 402 yards of offense, 360 on the ground. Running back Mapa Malupo, whose 9-yard TD run with 9:20 left in the game put the Sabers up 25-20, rushed for 195 yards on 26 carries.

Saito had 87 yards on 11 rushes.

The Knights took the lead on a 12-play, 66-yard drive that lasted three minutes, six seconds.

On the ensuing kickoff, Campbell returned the ball 16 yards to its 35. The Sabers methodically moved down the field on the strength of their running game. But things fell apart when they reached the Castle 27.

On first down, quarterback Jonah Canionero was called for intentional grounding, when a Knight defender had him in his grasp. The ball moved back to the 43 and back to the 38 after an encroachment by Castle. After a 2-yard gain by Daniel Stanton, the Sabers were called for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, moving the ball back to the Campbell 49.

A 14-yard run by Alii Basham combined with a clipping against Castle made it third-and-five at the 22. After Malupo blasted for 6 yards and a first down to the 16, the Sabers only managed 1 yard on the next three plays.

With 41 seconds left, they attempted a 33-yard field goal, but could only watch the Knights jump for joy when the kick sailed left. Saito also missed a 30-yarder earlier in the game.

Despite tallying more than twice as many yards as the Knights before the intermission, the West co-champions found themselves trailing 14-12 at the half.

The Sabers used their power running back Malupo to cover 60 yards in their three-play, 66-yard drive, only to let running back Romeo Mayrena finish the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. But Shauncey-Blaine Saito's PAT failed, as the Sabers took a 6-0 lead with 5:48 left in the first quarter.

The Knights took the lead with 10 seconds left in the quarter, when defensive back Antone Watanabe returned a fumble 36 yards for a touchdown. On the play, Malupo was stripped of the ball by linebacker Blaze Soares. The ball popped out to Watanabe, who went the distance untouched. Ethan Gonsalves' PAT gave the Knights a momentary lead.

But the Sabers cashed in on a Castle fumble after an 18-yard pass reception to Ikaika Ho. Keith Gardner recovered at the Castle 44. After Saito gained 24 and 16 yards on the first two plays of the series, Canionero scored on a quarterback sneak from 2 yards. A two-point conversion pass failed, but Campbell regained the lead at 12-7.

The Knights took the lead late in the half, capping a seven-play, 60-yard drive with a 36-yard TD pass from Jacob Ramos to Jared Suzui. Gonsalves' PAT made it 14-12.

The Sabers regained the lead with 2:22 in the third quarter on Anthony Dutro's 11-yard TD run. But the Knights reacted quickly, when Kawika Sebay scored on a draw from 67 yards on first down to give Castle a 20-19 lead.

The Sabers were hurt early, when they missed their first PAT of the game.

They were then forced to try for two on their following TDs.